Wandera Ojanji
29 March 2008
Nairobi — Nuria Habiba Edin did not take breakfast and is not looking forward to having lunch.
Although she has her food relief ration, the woman prefers to feed it to her three frail sheep and two goats.
Like other pastoralists in North Eastern Kenya, Edin, 55, is desperate to keep her livestock. And her desperation is growing. She has just lost a goat kid because its mother is too weak to provide milk. It is a matter of time before the mother goat dies too.
As much as she tries to feed the animals on her food ration, they are too thirsty to survive on the dry maize.
Edin is no stranger to the harsh realities of severe droughts in the region. She lost 120 animals in another drought that ravaged parts of the region and Eastern province two years ago.
Fearing the worst, Edin has moved most of her animals to Ethiopia where water is available. The five animals remaining in Kenya are too weak to survive the long trek to watering points in Ethiopia.
Edin's situation epitomises the predicament facing pastoralists in parts of Kenya as the drought worsens.
While rains are predicted to fall in April in these areas, there is concern that the available forage, pasture and water might not take the animals up to that time.
There is also no guarantee that it will rain since dry spells characterised the whole of last year. Weather experts have warned of a looming La Nina, usually associated with below-normal rainfall. This includes spells of drought in the pastoral areas in eastern Africa. The situation in the larger Mandera District has reached alarming levels, with many pastoralists crossing over to Ethiopia in search of water and pasture.
Mr Abdulahi Muhammed, Kiliweheri location chief, says many residents moved their cows last September, and
goats and sheep at the beginning of the year to Ethiopia. But those migrating to Ethiopia are in a predicament. Although there is water, the forage and pasture conditions are in a much worse state than in Kenya.
Muhammed says most pastoralists have lost many animals since migrating to Ethiopia. Mr Kibe Maguta, Takaba division District Officer, is worried that the situation may get worse. He fears that scenes reminiscent of the 2006 drought may recur if it does not rain soon.
"There is already a build-up of inter and intra clan tensions over water and pasture," says the DO. In fact, he says, they have had to quell inter clan clashes at Sake, with the assistance of elders. Those far away from the Ethiopian border have been left at the mercy of nature, the Government and development agencies, to provide water.
Those affected include Takaba residents. Without any boreholes, the residents in Mandera division headquarters and its environs rely on three water pans - Garale, Tubathi and Sigenge - that were rehabilitated by Action Aid at a cost of Sh40 million.
But the pans which rely on rainwater for replenishment are virtually empty.
Shortage of water
Except for Tubathi, with a water capacity of 70 million cubic meters, Garale, the main pan with a water capacity of 120 million cubic metres and the 50-million cubic metre Sigenge pan have all dried up.
"The remaining water pan in Tubathi cannot sustain Takaba residents and its environs for more than three weeks," warns Mr Nuktar Hussein Liban, a programme officer with Mandera Educational Development Society (MEDS).
To alleviate the situation, the Government and other development agencies have hired tankers to distribute water to the few watering points. Some of these places have turned into camps for internally displaced pastoralists.
However, the water supply is hardly enough for their daily needs.
"It does not matter the size of the family. Every household gets 20 litres of water everyday with the preference being given to the elderly and households without donkeys or camels," says Mr Shinowi Mohammed Isaac, a village elder at Eldarwet IDP camp in Takaba. It is a tough balancing act for Ms Nuria Ukurrow, 38, who lives at Eldarwet camp. Relocated from the inaccessible Diribanda in 2005 by Action Aid, the divorced mother of six has to survive on the 20-litre ration. Bathing for her three children in primary school is a luxury, despite the hot weather and the long dusty treks to school.
After the family lost 49 camels to drought, two of Ukurrow's elder children have migrated with their remaining seven camels to Ethiopia. But not all have a chance to move to Ethiopia. With a flock of 50 goats and sheep and 40 camels, Mr Hussein Mohammed from Buru Moyo, had to trek for 40km to Shindri Fatuma water point.
For Mr Adan Aliow from Gulani in Wajir West and Mr Abdulahi Low from Iresi Gurati, Mandera Central, it was a long trek of more than 70km to Shindri Fatuma.
Being the only water point for livestock within a radius of 100km, the congestion at Shindri Fatuma is more than stressful for both pastoralists and the tired, thirsty animals.
Fetching water in turns
To beat the long queues, many pastoralists destined for Shindri Fatuma leave their homes ahead of their livestock to book their turn at the water point early.
"I spent four days travelling. I have been here for four days and had to come early to book my turn. Otherwise, I would have spent many days before my livestock could have a chance," says Low who lost 160 animals to the 2006 drought.
Low admits that the prolonged drought has taken its toll on both pastoralists and livestock. "We are in distress. We do not have food and there is no pasture and forage left for our livestock," he says.
They are forced to choose the healthier and strong animals that can withstand the long trek to watering points. Low appeals to the Government and development agencies to help avert a looming disaster.
Water distribution is further constrained by the long distances between boreholes, bad road conditions and the overwhelming demand for water.
There are only 13 boreholes in the whole of Mandera District. The boreholes are far apart - at a distance of about 42km.
"The nearest borehole is between Wargadud in Mandera Central and El Wak on the Kenyan-Somalia border," says Noor. Mandera West, one of the most affected areas, has no borehole. It relies on water from Mandera Central.
For the drivers hired to ferry water, it is a hard task. They have to endure the makeshift roads and long distances.
Sometimes, they are forced to spend a night or two before their tankers are filled. This is either because the pumping machine has broken down or they have to wait for the water in the borehole to replenish.
Mr Ali Ibrahim, who drove from Takaba, 120km away, had to spend two days at El Wak because the pumping machine had broken down.
Also queuing to fill his tanker was Mr Omar Osman from Kiliweheri, 208km away - a settlement scheme 4km from the Ethiopia border.
The lack of emergency preparedness is partly blamed on the post-election events.
"The violence scuttled emergency preparedness for the prolonged drought.
All attention appears to have shifted to the post-election violence and emergency interventions for internally displaced persons (IDPs), forgetting the tribulations of pastoralists," says Mr Mohammed Noor, a programmes manager with MEDS.
Mandera West MP, Mr Mohammed Maalim Mahamud, concurs: "A lot of attention was paid to IDPs, diverting attention from the looming disaster in Eastern and North Eastern, particularly Mandera West and Wajir East."
Mahamud appealed for urgent intervention from development and relief agencies, and the Government. But he also called for a permanent solution to the problems in the area.
"There is need for alternative ways of dealing with problems in Mandera. People still handle livestock issues like they did 100 years ago when animal populations and pressures were low," says the MP.
While he agrees that the water table in the area is low, he wonders why the Government cannot employ modern technologies that allow for drilling of boreholes below 300m.
The current technology does not allow drilling below 300m.
The MP appeals for creation of a Ministry of Northern Kenya to provide for a holistic approach to the problems in the region.
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